Athena Software launches new features to help health and social service organizations provide remote care to their clients.

“Our customers provide essential and often life-saving services to their communities. In these truly difficult times, it’s vital that they’re able to deliver remote care and telehealth options like those now added to Penelope.”

WATERLOO, Ontario (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

Athena Software is stepping up for its customers in the hard-hit health and social service sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In direct response to the pandemic and the sudden and urgent need for social distancing, the Waterloo, Ont. software company has quickly adapted and accelerated its product roadmap priorities to respond to the growing demand from its worldwide health and human service partner organizations for a robust telehealth and remote care solution.

Specifically, Athena today unveiled video session scheduling for its highly acclaimed SaaS case management platform, Penelope, to simplify the end client experience in requesting and managing video-enabled remote care sessions with their care providers.

This means that Athena’s customers at health and social service organizations worldwide can continue to deliver essential case management support services remotely while protecting the health of their staff and their clients.

“The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted all of our lives, but especially those who are most vulnerable in our society,” said Geoff Bellew, CEO of Athena Software. “Our customers provide essential and often life-saving services to their communities. In these truly difficult times, it’s vital that they’re able to deliver remote care and telehealth options like those now added to the already powerful Penelope case management solution.”

Athena also announced today the launch of its new Caregiver feature for ClientConnect – a mobile client portal that works seamlessly with Penelope – that now also allows the designated caregivers of an organization’s clients to conveniently log in to a safe and secure account on their phone or tablet to view and schedule appointments, request services, and communicate securely with remote case workers on their clients’ behalf.

Both of the significant enhancements announced today are available at no charge to nonprofits and human service organizations already using Penelope and ClientConnect. The ability to prioritize, build, and deliver these remote care tools in a swift, no-fee response to a growing health crisis is an example of Athena’s blend of close-knit teamwork, nimble operations, and human compassion, said Bellew.

“It did not take us long to respond to our customers’ urgent requests for a remote service module, and one that would further equip them to provide first-class care,” he said. “Our highly effective and experienced development team immediately responded to this request and, while having to work remotely themselves, were able to create this fully-tested and highly useful enhanced feature set.”

These new, innovative, and easy-to-use features have been designed specifically

for easy and seamless adoption, meaning that agencies using Penelope don’t need to interrupt existing workflows or waste scarce and valuable time adopting this new functionality into their practice.

For example, to engage with video session scheduling, a client simply logs into ClientConnect and requests a live video session with their case worker or counsellor.

The worker then simply creates a link using the video provider of the social service organization’s choice and adds it as an appointment in Penelope. The link is then immediately displayed in the client’s account and easily accessed from their mobile device or desktop computer.

The new Caregiver feature for ClientConnect enables an authorized caregiver or family member to access the mobile client portal on their client or loved one’s behalf.

This empowers caregivers to communicate with service providers and advocate for the people in their care, while ensuring the level and quality of service they receive is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing measures required to fight it.

“The ability of Penelope and ClientConnect to further equip organizations with the tools they need to provide the same outstanding level of care, while respecting social distancing guidelines and ensuring the safety of both workers and clients, will immediately provide extraordinary value to our customers and their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath,” added Bellew.

“We’re proud to have delivered this rapid response development enhancement to provide a flexible, client-centric solution, with virtual collaboration and client engagement tools, that ensures our customers are able to continue providing high-quality support to their clients in a risk-free and highly effective environment,” he said.

About Athena Software

Since 2001, Athena Software has provided cloud-based case management software and client engagement options to health and social service agencies around the world. In 2018, the company was named to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™, as one of the fastest growing technology companies in North America.

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PermaSafe

In the auto industry, we owe it to our customers to ensure that we do our part to help keep them safe. That doesn’t mean we have to use dangerous chemicals to get the job done.

MAYS LANDING, N.J. (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

Automax Recruiting and Training announced a partnership with PermaSafe Protective Coatings. PermaSafe is an easy to install antimicrobial protection system that not only kills 99.999% of harmful bacteria and viruses, but also provides continuous antimicrobial protection that can last and remain effective for months or more.

“This changes everything,” says Craig Lockerd, CEO and founder of Automax Recruiting and Training. “In today’s climate, it’s more important than ever that we pay attention to how viruses and other pathogens are spread. In the auto industry, we owe it to our customers to ensure that we do our part to help keep them safe. That doesn’t mean we have to use dangerous chemicals to get the job done. PermaSafe’s unique long-term antimicrobial surface protectant permanently bonds to treated surfaces and provides long-term, chemical-free protection.”

Features and benefits of the PermaSafe System include:

• 
      Kills 99.999% of Bacteria and Viruses
•     Destroys Mold & Mildew and Prevents its Regrowth
•     Makes Treated Surfaces Antimicrobial and Virtually “Self-Sanitizing”
•     Patented Electro-Mechanical Process Kills Microbes without Harmful Chemicals
•     Can Last and Remain Antimicrobially Effective for Months or More
•     Won’t Wash off, Wear out, or Migrate and isn’t Consumed by Microorganisms
•     FDA and EPA Registered Products

“We entered into this partnership,” Craig Lockerd continues, “because the protection that PermaSafe offers fit perfectly into the Automax main core value of putting people first. When Troy Spring of Dealer World first brought PermaSafe to my attention I was intrigued, after researching the science I knew that I had to get involved.”

PermaSafe can be applied to any virtually any surface; inside automobiles as well as in the customer-facing areas of a car dealership. Dealerships across the country are currently applying alcohol, methanol and other hazardous chemical-based products that must be applied multiple times a day to remain effective, putting both their customers and employees at risk. The PermaSafe system is free of hazardous chemicals and provides extended antimicrobial protection.

The partnership between Automax Recruiting & Training and PermaSafe Protective Coatings allows Automax to distribute PermaSafe products to auto dealers all across the country. With the reach of Automax, this would make them the largest distributor of PermaSafe in the US.

PermaSafe is available for immediate shipment and can be applied to most vehicles in about 15 minutes. For more information on PermaSafe, visit https://www.automaxrecruitingandtraining.com/permasafe/.

About Automax Recruiting and Training: Automax is the largest automotive and RV recruitment firm in North America with over 17,500 hiring campaigns and 160,000 dealership personnel placed.

About PermaSafe: PermaSafe Clean Step 1 is on the EPA List N under the product name Vital Oxide with the registration number, 82972-1. Search for it here: https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

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“Our Telehealth program will help our patients lose weight and put them less at risk of COVID-19 hospitalization.”

SALT LAKE CITY (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

With 40 years of experience guiding permanent and healthy weight loss, MD Diet Weight Loss & Nutrition today announced a remote online telehealth option for its highly popular weight reduction program. The urgency of this move is spurred on due to research implicating obesity as the top ‘chronic health factor’ leading to hospitalization from COVID-19.

“In an effort to flatten the curve of COVID-19, while still assisting those struggling those with obesity, we are pleased to announce our new Telehealth program,” stated Cathy Gonzales, FNP-BC, Health Care Provider at MD Diet. “Our Telehealth program will help our patients lose weight and get out of the obesity range putting them less at risk of hospitalization from this life-threatening disease.”

In the largest U.S. study (4,000 patients in New York) conducted to-date on COVID-19, scientists found that after age, obesity was the factor most associated with hospitalization due to COVID-19. In fact, they found that obesity puts patients more at risk for hospitalization than any respiratory or heart condition or even diabetes. Scientists have a couple of theories as to why this is the case.

Obesity is well-recognized as causing an increased inflammatory response in the body and inflammation seems to make a COVID-19 illness worse. Another reason may be the fact that people with obesity have lower oxygen levels than someone of a healthy weight. Low oxygen levels are one of the main drivers of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

Other countries around the world, including France, China and Mexico have voiced their concerns about the obesity link to COVID-19 hospitalization. France’s Chief Epidemiologist Jean-François Delfraissy recently raised a voice of warning, “…we’re worried about our friends in America, where the problem of obesity is well known and where they will probably have the most problems because of obesity.”

The CDC has taken note of these new findings and has listed obesity as putting individuals at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19 on their website.

Interested persons may sign up for a free online nutrition class and orientation to the MD Diet telemedicine approach.

About MD Diet, Weight Loss & Nutrition

For more than 40 years, MD Diet has helped hundreds of thousands of patients in California and Utah transform their bodies and their health with proven medical weight-loss programs. This is accomplished through a combination of education and lifestyle modifications to help improve health and vitality while safely shedding unwanted pounds. Under the guidance of our nurse practitioners, nutritionists and experienced, compassionate staff, patients learn how to lose weight and live healthier and more confidently.

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Angie Chan is the supervisor of the Molecular Diagnostic Section of the Animal Diagnostic and Disease Laboratory. (John Underwood/Purdue University photo)

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (PRWEB)
April 17, 2020

Purdue University is continuing to lend expertise and resources to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic through increasing Indiana’s testing capacity for the virus thanks to a partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana hospitals.

The Indiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL) – located in Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine – is working with Fort Wayne-based Parkview Health to start conducting COVID-19 tests for human patients. Testing began after the lab received Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments certification to conduct human diagnostic testing, with Parkview agreeing to provide clinical oversight.

Testing will be expanded in collaboration with other hospitals, with all samples sent directly from partner hospitals to the ADDL. To avoid a testing backlog, hospitals interested in working with the ADDL are required to complete the “Partnership Inquiry” form.

The goal is to turn around results the same day that samples are received in the lab.

The lab was certified in a matter of days after Purdue leaders suggested using the ADDL to conduct tests and address the state’s limited testing capacity and need for resources. State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, said in a recent daily briefing with Gov. Eric Holcomb that resources are still limited for COVID-19 testing in Indiana as the number of cases continues to rise.

“The College of Veterinary Medicine has a long history of providing services to protect animal and human health,” said Willie Reed, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Providing COVID-19 testing is yet another way to support the citizens of Indiana during this unprecedented public health crisis. The project was shepherded by David Broecker of the Purdue Research Foundation and involves several partners including the foundation, the Indiana State Department of Health, Parkview Hospital, the Purdue community.”

Broecker is the chief innovation and collaboration officer for the Purdue Research Foundation.

Dr. Kenitra Hendrix, director of the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, says the ADDL had a unique opportunity to assist with COVID-19 testing in Indiana because of the lab’s expertise in providing infectious disease testing and immunity surveillance for animals across the state.

“The ADDL is uniquely positioned to contribute skills and expertise in the detection of pathogens to the fight against COVID-19, while maintaining our diagnostic support of animal health and the safety of the food supply,” Hendrix said.

Hendrix says the samples are being tested using a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing method that the ADDL uses regularly for animal specimens. The ADDL team, working with state health authorities, adjusted its intake and sample processing procedures to gain the necessary certification to use the PCR testing capability on human specimens.

“Our team has worked diligently to prepare to perform this testing,” Hendrix said. “It is rewarding to be able to take on this role in support of the citizens of our state.”

The project is a cross-disciplinary, collaborative effort with the Indiana State Department of Health, the Purdue Research Foundation and the Purdue community.

“Indiana continues to increase our capabilities and preparedness for rapidly testing patients to support our front-line health care workers,” Box said. “We are grateful to Purdue and the ADDL for helping to make testing more available for Hoosiers who are helping others during this pandemic.”

Parkview Health provided clinical expertise on obtaining a CLIA license and setting up the lab for human testing.

“It still takes several days to get results that are sent out to central labs across the country,” said Dr. Michael J. Mirro, chief academic research officer at Parkview Health. “Even the new tests are limited by supply constraints. What Purdue has done is fantastic and shows the ingenuity associated with creative problem solving. Paired with the significant amount of time invested by the Parkview lab team, we believe this will have a positive impact on the state’s testing capacity.”

The ADDL is a Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) facility accredited by the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians (AAVLD). BSL-2 laboratories are used to study moderate-risk infectious agents or toxins.

Hendrix says that additional partnerships with other hospitals across the state are possible. More information and a form for potential partners are available at https://purdue.vet/covid19testing.

To make a contribution in support of Purdue’s COVID-19 testing facility and the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, visit here and see CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) TESTING LAB.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a top public research institution developing practical solutions to today’s toughest challenges. Ranked the No. 6 Most Innovative University in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue delivers world-changing research and out-of-this-world discovery. Committed to hands-on and online, real-world learning, Purdue offers a transformative education to all. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue has frozen tuition and most fees at 2012-13 levels, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap at purdue.edu.

About the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine

The Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine seeks to advance global animal and human health and well-being through excellence in learning, discovery and engagement while serving as a major referral center for the diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases. Faculty research both animal and human health, with an emphasis on animal welfare science and the human-animal bond; infectious diseases and immunology; cancer; neuroscience; and musculoskeletal biology and orthopedics. The college also is one of only a few nationally that educate all members of the veterinary team, offering the doctor of veterinary medicine degree as well as bachelor’s and associates degrees in veterinary nursing, post-graduate internships and residencies for veterinarians seeking specialty training, and graduate degrees in the departments of Basic Medical Sciences, Comparative Pathobiology, and Veterinary Clinical Sciences. For more information visit http://www.vet.purdue.edu.

Writer: Abbey Nickel, nickela@purdue.edu, 740-326-0481

Media contacts: Tim Doty, doty2@purdue.edu, Abbey Nickel, nickela@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: A Google drive folder with broadcast-quality b-roll and photos of the Indiana Animal Disease and Diagnostic Laboratory is available at https://purdue.university/3abGFnF